Slug and Snail siRNAs regulate mRNA expression of IL-6 and IL-8.

<p><b>(A and B)</b> Phosphorylation of STAT3 at Y705 residue were determined by immunoblotting following transfection with either Slug or Snail siRNA in SAS cells treated with TGF-β. α-tubulin was used as a loading control. <b>(C–H)</b> After the knockdown of either Slug or Snail in HSC4 (C, D, and E) and SAS (F, G, and H) cells, the cells were treated with 1 ng/ml TGF-β for 24 h. mRNA levels of IL-6 (C, D, F, and G) and IL-8 (E and H) were analyzed by qRT-PCR. mRNA levels were normalized to the amount of <i>GAPDH</i> mRNA. Slug siRNA (#1 and #2) and Snail siRNA (#1 and #2) were used. Each value represents the mean ± s.d. of triplicate determinations from a representative experiment. Similar results were obtained in at least three independent experiments. NC, non-specific negative control siRNA.